Ejector lock and conditioning means for dictation machines



. Dec. l2, 1933. H P RQBERTS 1,939,412

EJECTOR LOCK AND CONDITIONING MEANS FOR DICTATION MACHINES Original Filed May l1, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 12, 1933. H. P. ROBERTS EJECTOR LOCK AND CONDITIONING MEANS FOR DICTATION MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 11, 1929 BY 066;. ral;

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 12, 1933 ATENT orrica :EJECTOR LOCK AND CONDITIONING MEANS FOR DICTATION MACHINES Henry P. Roberts, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Dictaphone Corporation, New York, N. Y., a. corporationV of kNew York Application May 11, 1929, serial N. 362,264

Renewed July 27, 1932 Y 19 claims. (ci. zwi- 17)v This invention relates to dictation machines and more particularly to ejector locks therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, effec-tivel and dependable device of the nature described. A further object is to provide in a -machine of the above character wherein the record cylinder is removed from the supporting mandrel by manipulation of a record ejector, simple and practical means for preventing possible injury 0 to-the stylusor related parts by reason of the Voperation of said ejector.` Another object is to provide practical means of the character described adapted toprevent manipulation of the record ejector while the stylus is in operative position relative to the record cylinder. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out here-. inafter.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, Ycombinations of elements 2Q and arrangements of parts whichwill be pointed out in the following description,` andthe scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims. 4 In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention:

Figure 1 is a front plan View of a dictating. machine, of the transcribing type, showing vthe present invention as applied thereto. Y Figure 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the dictation machine shown invFigure 1, partly in section and with parts removed-to more clearly Vshow certain features of the present embodiment of my invention. l

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the dictation machine shown in Figure v1 and shows the reproducin'g stylus in operative position, with the ejector latch in ejector locking position.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken online 4-,4 of Figure 1, showing the reproducing stylus and related parts in their inoperative position with the ejector lock moved to non-locking position by the guide arm of the carriage. j

Before referring tothe drawings for a detailed j description of the structural features of the illustrated embodiment of my invention, it mayfhere be explained that dictation vmachines of the nature of that herein described arev usuallyprovided with meansfor ejecting the record cylinder from its supporting mandrel whenever the operator so desires, irrespective of the longitudinal position of the sound box carriage relative to the record cylinder, so that the ejector mechanism may be actuated inadvertently while the stylus is in operative engagement with the cylinder. Should this hap.

pen when the carriage occupies a position intervmediate the ends of the record cylinder, as for example, in the position shown in Figure 1, the stylus will Vdropdown after the record has been y, removed, 'to the position it occupies in Figure 3,-a fit vposition within the boundary of the cylinders outercircumference. Should the operatorY fail 'to raise the stylus from this position before` attempting toipla'ce a new record upon the mandrei, is extremely likely that the end of the recu crd will collide with the stylus'with considerable impact, inwhich event, not only will the` delicately balanced parts ofthe sound box be strained or thrown out of adjustment, but there is even Y the possibility that the'stylus itself may become 70, chipped or broken. Any distortion of the delicately balanced parts of the sound box orV stylus supporting means adversely affects recording or reproducing to a marked extent, and if the stylus should be chipped or broken, its replacement or repair is a factor of much consequence because it cannot b'e easilyiaccomplished, and the replacement cost is necessarily great becausev the stylus is usually made of either a diamond or a sapphire. The-present'invention overcomes these possibili- 80V ties in a veryv simple and novel manner.

Referring to the'drawings it will be seen to comprise a main frame 10 and an integral housing 41l which serves as a bearing support for the mandrei shaft 12. The mandrel shaft is provided with 8,5 alrecord supporter mandrel 13 at one end, which is rotatedby a drivingv pulley14 at its other end, under the influence of an electric motor. or` other prime mover, not shown".`

The main frame 10 is also provided with an in- 90 tegral left hand standard 15 and right hand standards 16 and 17. The sound box carriage 18 is supported for longitudinal movement relative to the record support 13 upon a front or main carriage rod 19 supported between the left hand standard 95 15 and right hand standard 16, and a rear guide rod`20, supported between the housing 11 and the right hand standard 1'7.

The carriage is provided with a control which makes it possible to condition the sameso as to allow manual movement of the carriage freely to and'fro upon the carriage guide rods 19 and 20, or to condition the carriage to effect a mechanicalv advance of the same in predetermined ,ratio with the rotatable record support 13 under 105 the influence of rotatable feed screw 21, driven by thedriving pulley v14: and the mandrel shaft 12 through any suitable train of `gears (not shown) within the housing. ThisV mechanical advance Of the Sound box `carriage is eifected by n within a projecting part of ai stylus carrier or weght 28, pivotally mountedat 28a to give to the stylus a limited range of up and down movement relative to the mandrel 13, to provide for its proper. engagement with record cylinders of various diameters, as for example, the cylinder 29`,` and to accommodate itself to any slight eccentricity or runout of a record cylinder.

The stylus carrier 28 and related parts are conditioned by a control lever 30, which is pivotally mounted upon the carriage guide rod 19 within an opening 31 formed in a forward portion of the carriage.- 'I'his control lever is provided with a lobe 32 adapted to swing the carrierA 28 about the pin 28a by engaging an extension of the carrier and thereby forcingsaid carrier'to the position shown in Figure 4. At the same time, a lobe 34 formed .upon the controllever engages an upturned portion 35 of the feed 4nut 22 and swings the feed nut about its'pivot 22a out of operativeA engagementV with the feed screw. By moving the control lever to the down position shown in Figure 3 the lobe 34 is withdrawn from engagement with 35and allows the feed nut to reengage the feed screw under the retractive inuence of the spring 22h, while at the same time the lobe 32 is withdrawn from contact with 33 and permits the stylus carrier 28 to return to its operative positionunder the retractive inuence of spring 28h.

In the usual operation ofthe machine, a record cylinder 29 is placed uponthe mandrel 13 when the carriage 18 is in its innermost or starting position of travel, that is, near the head end or housing end of the machine, and when the sound boxand feed nutare conditioned by the control lever as'shownin Figure 4. After the record is placed fully upon the mandrel, as shown in Figure 1, the operator moves the'control lever downwardly to permitl of the stylus engaging the record cylinder and torallow movementl of the feed nut intoengagement ywith the rotatable feed screw, as hereinbefore described,v thus rendering the machine'fully operative for` reached, should the operator desire to change thev record cylinder, means is provided for ejecting the record cylinder from the mandrel.

In the 'present drawings, the type of rrecord ejector shown` is substantially the same as that disclosed in the Lucarelle Patent, No. 1,687,375, but it should be understood that theV invention is equally applicable with other types of record ejectors. The record ejector shown comprises a plunger 36 supported in a bearing 37 formed integrally with the housing 1l, in a position to move longitudinally of the machine. The operating end of the plunger has a head 38, so shaped as to pass by the flange 39 at the inner end of the mandrel 13 and is adapted to engage the end of the record when the plunger is reciprocated. The other end of the plunger is fastened to the upstanding arm 40 forming part of a longitudinally disposed link 4l. This link extends below the base of the frame 10 and terminates at a point adjacent the outer end of the mandrel Here the link is connected to a lever 42 by means of a shoulder stud 43. The lever 42 is fulcrumed upon a stud44 at the rear of the machine, and at its forward end is provided with an upwardly extending portion 45 forming a linger piece by means of which the ejector may be operated.

The finger piece extends through a slotted plate 46 covering a suitable opening 47 left in the base ofthe frame 1). The ends of the slot in the plate 46 serve as stops for limiting the movement of the lever 42. Y

The parts are held in their normal position by means of a spring 48 having one end connected to the lever and the other. end connected to a stud 49 which is on the under side of the main as shown in Figure 2. The tendency is for the spring to pull the lever 42 to the left, as seen in Figure 2, and when the lever moves to the left the link 4l and plunger 36 must also move to the left where the spring yieldingly maintains the entire device in inoperative position. If desired,4 the link 4l may be guided in `its movement. by aA shoulder screw* 50 passing through a slot 5l in the link. This will hold the lever connected with the link against undesirable downward movement.

The finger piece 45 is arranged so as to project above theA base 10 in close proximity to the end of the mandrel 13. the record by the operators thumb engaging the finger piece 45 while theindex and middle fingers are in engagement with the end of the mandrel, which is used as a purchase for operating the record ejector.v

In its present preferred embodiment, the invention provides means to lock the record ejector against operation as soon as the sound box carriage moves from the initial or starting position of travel to any stationv longitudinally of the i record, making it necessary for the operator to raise the control lever 30 to move the stylus and feed nut to inoperative position and return the carriage to initial or starting vposition of travel before he can manipulate the record ejector. This means comprises a simple latch 57 pivotally mounted on a stud 53 on housing l1 at the head end of the machine. This latch is adapted to swing by gravity into the path of the ejector plunger shoe 38 under the influence ofl a counterweight portion 54, as Vshown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

hile theA latch is in this position the ejector partsl are looked against operation. However, when-the carriage is in the starting position of travel the latch 52 isl pressed downwardly out of is provided. Its operation is as follows:

A record cylinder is placed upon the mandrel when the sound box carriage is in the starting position of travel or at the head end of the mal This enables the removal of chine, as. shown in'Figure 4. The operator then moves the control lever into the 'down position,

as shown in Figure 3, when the feed nutengages the feed screw and the stylus engages the record sound grooves `on the periphery of the record cylinder. The dictatedrmatter will be reproduced while the carriage is fed longitudinally alongthe record by the rotating' feed screw, during which time the mandrel and the recording cylinder rotates. When the sound box carriage has moved a short distance; its guide arm will move out of engagement with the latch arm 56 permitting the latch to swing upwardly into locking position by reason of the gravitational action of the counterweight. This relation of parts is shown in Figure 1 wherein the guide arm ofthe carriage is indicated by a dot and dash outline in aposition just clear` ofV the latch arm, with the latch in ejector locking position. At any -position thereafter in the longitudinal movement of the carriage it is first necessary for the operator to move the' control lever and relatedv parts into neutral or inoperative position, and then return the carriage to staring-position of travel before he can operate the record ejector. This `insures that the stylus and related parts will not be in the operative position, as shown in Figure 3, and in the path of a record cylinder should one now be placed upon the mandrel, while the carriage occupies other than its starting position.

From 'the foregoingr it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain the aims and objects hereinbefore set forth in a simple,

practical and dependable manner. Y

As various embodiments might be made of this invention, and as various changes might be made in the constructionherein described, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Y

What I claim as new and seek to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. In a dictation machine, in combination, a frame, a record support mounted von the frame, a record ejector. movably mounted for freeing a record from said support, a carriage movable on said frame along said record support from an initial position,a stylus on said carriage adapted to track the record, means for normally locking said ejector to prevent its engagement with the record, and means co-acting with said locking means to release said ejector when said carriage is moved to its initial position.

2. In a dictation machine, in combination, a frame, a record support mounted on the frame, a record ejector movably mounted for freeing a record from said support, a carriage movable on said frame along said record support from an initial position, a stylus on said carriage adapted to track the record, a latch normally held in position to obstruct the path of movement of said ejector, and means for forcing said latch from said path when the carriage is moved to its initial position.

3. In a dictation machine, in combination, a frame, a record support mounted on the frame, a record ejector movably mounted for freeing a record from said support, a carriage movable on said frame along said record support from an initial position, a stylus on said carriage adapted to track the record, a latch normally held by gravity in a position to block movement of said ejector and having a contact surface adapted to be engaged by a portion of said carriage to render said Vlatch inoperative.

4. In a dictationmachine, in combination, a record support, a movably mounted record ejector, a carriage movable from a starting position relatively to said record support, a stylus mounted on lsaid carriage and movable into and out of operative relation to said record support, means positioned to be engaged by said ejector for locking said record ejector against operative movement, means coacting with said locking means to release said ejector when said carriage is moved to starting position, and means adapted to prevent such Vmovement of said carriage when said stylus'is in operative relation to said record support.

5. In a dictation machine, in combination, a record support, a movably mounted record ejector, a carriage movable from a starting position relatively to said record support, a stylus on said carriage adapted to track the record, means positioned to be engaged by said ejector for locking said recordejector against operative movement, means coacting with said locking means to release said ejector when said carriage is moved to starting position, a feed screw, a feed vnut engaging said screw to provide for 4forward travel of said carriage and locking said carriage'` against backward movement.

6.- In a dictation machine, in combination, a record support, a movably mounted record ejector, a carriage movable from a starting position relatively to said record support, a stylus on said carriage adapted to track the record, means positioned to be engaged by said ejector for locking said record ejector against operative movement, means coacting with said locking means to release said ejector when said carriage is moved to starting position, a feed screw, a feed engaging said screw to provide for forward travel of said carriage and locking said carriage against backward movement, and means for disengaging said nut from said screw to permit free return of said carriage to its starting position.

'7. In a dictation machine, in combination, a record support, a movably mounted vrecord ejector, a carriage movable from a starting position relatively to said record support, a stylus mounted on said carriage and movable into and out of operative relation to said record support, means positioned to be `engaged by said ejector for locking said record ejector against operative movement, means coacting with said locking means to release said ejector when said carriage is moved to starting position, a feed screw, a feed nut engaging said screw to provide for forward travel of said carriage and locking said carriage against backward movement, and means for moving said stylus out of operative relation to said record support and simultaneously disengaging said feed nut from said screw.

8. In a dictation machine, in combination, a record-support, a carriage mounted for movement longitudinally o said support from a starting position, a stylus carrier pivotally mounted upon said carriage and movable to an inoperative position with the stylus out of engagement with a record carried by said support, a feed-screw, a

feed-nut pivotally mounted on said carriage, coni trol means for moving said stylus carrier to said inoperative position and simultaneously disengaging said feed-nut to permit the return of said carriage to its starting positon, a record-ejector movable relatively to said record-support for engitudinally movable to displace the cylinder fromv its support, means positioned to be engaged by said ejector and normally eiective to prevent the displacement of said cylinder byl said ejector,

means for rendering said last means ineffective when said carriage is moved to its starting position, releasable carriage feeding means adapted to lock said carriage against free movement when said stylus is in its operative position, and means for moving said stylus toits inoperative position and releasing said carriage feeding and locking means.

10. The combination in a dictation machine comprising a record-support, a movable soundbox carriage having a record-engagingv stylus movably mounted thereon, said carriage being 1 movable along said record-support from a starting position, and a record-ejector; of locking means for saidv record-ejector to prevent its engagement with the record, and means for rendering said locking means ineifective when said carriage is returned to its starting position. Y

11. The. combination in a dictation machine comprising a record support, a movable soundv box carriage having a record-engaging stylus movably'mounted thereon-said carriage being movable along said record-support from a starting positionA means for conditioning said stylus, and a record ejector; of locking'means for said record ejector to prevent its engagement with the recordand means for rendering said locking means ineffective when said carriage is returned to its starting position, andV means operable by said stylus conditioning means for preventing the return of said carriage when said stylus is conditioned for operation.

12. In a dictation machine, in combination, a frame, a record-support mounted on the frame, a record-ejector movably mounted for freeing a record from said support, a carriage movable on said frame along said record-support from an initial position, a stylus on said carriage adapted to track the record, a latch comprising a pivotally mounted lever and means normally tending to swing said lever about its pivot to hold said latch in position to obstruct the path of movement of said ejector, and means for forcing said latch from said path when the carriage is moved to its initial position.

13. The combination in a dictating machine comprising a record-support,v a sound-box cari riage movable along said record-support from a starting position and having a record-engaging stylus mounted thereon, and a record-ejector for initiating movement of a record relatively to said record-support for the purpose of ejecting said record fromv said support; of means adapted normally to interfere With the operation of said record-ejector whereby the said initial movement of said record is prevented, and means associated with said carriage for actuating said interfering means to release said record-ejector upon the return of said carriage to its starting position.

' HENRY P. ROBERTS.

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